Woodbury High School coach Rich Limpert and staff planted the seeds for lacrosse in the eastern suburb six years ago.

“We started with 13 kids and a bag of balls,” Limpert said.

It’s time to harvest.

Woodbury went 2-9 five years ago — its first as a varsity sport — and has steadily improved each season, posting an 11-1 regular-season mark in 2010.

After building numbers in the early years — itching and scratching for victories — the program was finally getting somewhere. As recently as two years ago, the program had 125 kids as a three-school cooperative with Park of Cottage Grove and East Ridge.

But then those two schools split, leaving Woodbury with just 42 kids. No worries. Even after losing 66 percent of its roster, not including graduated seniors, the Royals went from an 8-6 club to a one-loss contender.

By working with Woodbury’s youth development coordinator and implementing the same systems for all the youngsters, fresh faces are able to contribute immediately.

It helps when the varsity and JV staff has a combined 50 years of coaching experience. A total of seven coaches all played together at Minnesota State Mankato, so the message has been consistent and the transitions seamless.

“We’re all speaking out of the same hymnal to the guys, so the players know where to be on the field, when to be there — and they know it before they get to varsity,” Limpert said. “We’ve got the perfect storm of dedicated coaches, parents and players right now.”

A catalyst of Woodbury’s transformation is Ben Alberts. The senior attack may talk about his passing skills and the importance of distributing the ball to his teammates, but lacrosse enthusiasts gush about his shot.

“It’s gotten to the point where we just start laughing when he scores the goals he scores in practice,” Limpert said. “It’s like there’s no way he should be able to do what he just did.”

Limpert believes Alberts, who started playing for him as an eighth-grader, may potentially become the leading scorer in state history. He tallied 52 points as a freshman, had 26 during a injury-riddled sophomore campaign and finished with 65 last season.

“I basically spent my summers when I was younger shooting in my yard with friends,” said Alberts, who is garnering Division-I attention.

One of those friends is Christian Turner, who is the only other player to make the team with Alberts as an eighth-grader. They have both been playing together since fifth grade.

“We used to call them Crosby and Ovechkin,” Limpert said.

Turner, a senior midfielder and key faceoff guy, is also a hockey player. He missed most of last season after breaking his back playing hockey for the Royals. A full and healthy year from Turner will  mean only good things for Limpert and company.

The Royals are loaded with experienced juniors and seniors. The 6-5, 205-pound defender Dylan Ross  solidifies the defensive core with physical play and a strong stick. He’s also the team’s vocal leader.

“If there’s a Ray Lewis on our team, that’s him. He gets everybody together. When he’s on the field, it’s like having another coach out there,” Limpert said.

Woodbury is walking with some swagger into this season after beating Wayzata, Breck and Mounds View all for the first time in the program’s history last year. Expectations have been elevated — again.

“We know we’ve earned our right to be there,” Limpert said. “The guys know the bar has been raised, and it’s their time to continue on the tradition.”